Response to 'Britain's Spanish Colony', by
Norman Connors
Teuma's interesting and
informative examination of the history of language use and education in
the British dependency (it is
not a British colony in Spain and never has been a colony in the true
sense of the term) of Gibraltar is possible only because of his
possession of two particular sympathies. The first is the idea that
access to, or the presence of more than one culture is desirable. The
second is that of an appreciation of Spanish culture. His criticisms of
previous education policy there are in effect criticisms of sympathies
contrary to his own. Of course we are these days much more likely to
share with him an appreciation of other cultures but judging people in
the past, from a world very different from our own - one much more
like the rest of human history than our new dawn in the early 21st
century - as wrong, is like expecting them to judge our opinions right.
This kind of cultural imperialism was not wrong to them - why? Because
they were especially bad human beings perhaps? But this can only be
true as judged by our own ideas of what is good. Perhaps the reason
they acted as they did is that for them, and unlike us, they did not
perceive humanity to be united, rather they saw those from different
places with different languages and cultures as alien and not to be
trusted. Rule by aliens meant losing your position in your society
because you could not speak the language of your rulers. Without the
technology and means of communication of the 'global village' that we
have today foreigners are largely unknown, and more importantly the
power of their nation cannot be gauged.
The result of this combination of fear of domination by foreigners with
justified paranoia about their ability to dominate is a felt need to
extend your own nation's power and influence; and because you know
everyone feels the same if that means foreigners are going to get hurt
in the process then so be it. These considerations explain, I think,
the attitude towards the Spanish language in Gibraltar in the past. In
such circumstances and with such beliefs and fears your concern is not
to encourage the encroachment of what is foreign it is to drive it out.
Norman Connors works in local government in the South West of England.
© For/Against 2007